The Blue Backpack

03/09/2026

01/09/2026

Suisse Romande (the French-Speaking region in Switzerland) offers spectacular views, unique hiking trails, excellent wines, vineyards, regional cuisine, medieval villages, art and culture and inviting pristine lakes for swimming.

31/08/2026

It took about two hours to hike up to the edge of the Creux du Van a natural rocky cirque approximately 1,400 meters wide and 150 meters deep.

23/08/2026

You’ll experience this dashing hotel if you join my Hiking and W**e Tasting tour to Switzerland in September 2027. I almost don’t want to leave the property!

17/08/2026

On the way to the airport 😀✈️🇨🇭

07/08/2026

☕ One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering how the world drinks its coffee. Same bean, endlessly different rituals — each cup a small window into a culture.
But the one thing I want to tell you about is the Café Gourmand: a mini-indulgence, a guilt-free pleasure.
A single espresso, served alongside a selection of 3 to 5 miniature desserts. A little of everything — a tiny tart, a bite of mousse, a miniature macaron, a sliver of something chocolate. It arrived on Parisian menus in the mid-1980s and has since become a fixture in France and the French-speaking region of Switzerland.
Why does it work so beautifully?
● My personal reason: no more FOMO with the dessert menu.
● The sweetness of the desserts lets you sip the espresso without sugar — a delicious balance of bitter and sweet.
● It saves time — coffee and dessert arrive together in one elegant moment.

Café Gourmand was born out of a cultural shift: the slow disappearance of the long French lunch which was partly funded by the Titres de Restaurants or meal vouchers. Gone are the days of multi-course midday meals with drinks, appetizers, a main dish, dessert, coffee, and digestif. Shorter lunch breaks, rising food prices, the ability to use the meal vouchers at the supermarket, digital habits, productivity culture — and more recently, the rise of remote work since COVID-19 — all chipped away at that ritual.


Have you tried one? Would you order it? 👇

05/08/2026

✈️ Wednesday Travel Tip — Packing Series, Part 2 of 3

I usually fly standby. That means no guaranteed seat, no guaranteed class — 99% of the time I end up in a middle seat in the back of the aircraft, grateful just to be on the plane. On this particular Lufthansa flight to Zurich via Munich, I had mentally prepared for exactly that. What I had NOT prepared for was leaving my carefully packed snack cube in the trunk of my son’s car.
As usual, I had packed almonds, fruits to eat before landing (customs tip: fresh fruit gets confiscated at most borders), a sandwich, Trader Joe's snacks, chocolate, Via instant coffee and gum. Gone. All of it ahead of an 11-hour flight. But two miraculous things happened: I was assigned a seat ahead of boarding time AND in Business Class. I usually am the last one to board, waiting for my name to be called.
My flight cube system — what actually goes in it:

● Compression socks — always fun to put on when seating in the middle-seat…
● Lip balms and hand creams — I carry several and stash them in pockets and bags.
● Face hydrating spray
● Sanitizing wipes
● Tissues
● Travel socks to keep feet warm, travel sleep mask
● Inflatable neck pillow
● Noise-cancelling headphones + Bluetooth adapter (some planes no longer have headphone jacks)
● Dramamine
● Gum
● Charger
● Downloaded audio books
● iPad or laptop

For documents: everything lives in a zippered passport pouch in my f***y pack — Swiss passport, Swiss ID card, Green Card, Global Entry, credit cards, debit card, cash in both US dollars

31/07/2026

🍸 The Apéritif vs. Happy Hour: A Tale of Two Rituals
Walk into any major European city today and you'll spot Happy Hour signs in bar windows. Just down the street, something entirely different is happening: people gathered at a café or around a kitchen table, small bites on the table, a glass of something light and slightly bitter in hand. That's the apéritif. They are not the same thing.
The word apéritif comes from the Latin aperire — "to open." Dating back to the 5th century, it was always served with food, always a deliberate pause. The drink matters, but the ritual matters more.
Happy Hour? A marketing strategy — born in the US Navy in 1913, perfected during Prohibition. Discounted drinks to fill the slow 5 to 7pm window.
The real difference: the apéritif is a transition — the day is done, the evening begins. It happens at cafés AND at home; inviting someone for an apéro is an act of hospitality. Happy Hour is a transaction. I call it “liquid consumerism”.
I leave for Switzerland and Italy in August. The apéro is always the first thing I look forward to — and always part of what I share with the groups I bring there.

29/07/2026

✈️ Wednesday Travel Tip — Packing Series, Part 1 of 3

I leave for Switzerland and Italy on August 10 — seven weeks, carry-on only. And yes, I'm already packing.

That's not a quirk. That's the system.

Two weeks before any trip, my suitcase goes into my office — where I spend most of my time — and I start placing things in it as I remember them. A scarf here, my hiking socks there. My copy of The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton, always. By the time departure week arrives, most of the work is done.

A few things that make it work:

● I keep a packing list for every destination and season — clothing, gear, electronics, personal care, documents, accessories. NEVER assume you'll remember. Once I forgot my kids’ suitcase... I have a list now.
● 2-3 colors only so everything mixes and matches. For this trip: hiking and outdoors in Switzerland, and — I'll be honest — some shopping for more fashionable outfits once I get to Milan. That's not a flaw in the plan. That's the plan.
● Clothes I can wash in the hotel sink: 2 t-shirts, 2 sleeveless tops, 1 light fabric long-sleeve button-up shirt, 2 pants, 1 shorts, 3 underwear (ExOfficio travel un**es — non-negotiable), 2 sports bras, 3 hiking socks, 1 bathing suit, 1 scarf, rain jacket, fleece, light hoodie.
● Shoes: hiking boots worn on the plane to save space, plus Teva sandals that work for hiking and water. And maybe a pair of regular walking shoes, if there is room.
● Packing cubes are everything. One cube per category. It's not just organization — it's sanity.

I fly standby, so carry-on isn't optional — it's the only option. Seven weeks, my faithful carry-on REI suitcase, my well-worn 20-liter hiking daypack, and a f***y pack for documents. That's it.

Next Wednesday: what goes in my flight bag — and the story of the time I forgot my travel snack bag on an 11-hour flight. ✈️

What's your best packing tip? Drop it below. 👇